HONOLULU – On a night where the greatness of former UH guard AC Carter was recognized, the Hawai'i men's basketball team reached deep to achieve their own with a dramatic 78-75 overtime win over UC Santa Barbara in front of a packed Bankoh Arena crowd. With the win the Rainbow Warriors (19-7, 11-5) stopped a two-game skid and moved back into a tie for first in the Big West standings.
The 'Bows moved atop the league with UC Irvine and CSUN, while the Gauchos (17-11, 10-7) slipped a 1.5 games behind the trio in a congested battle at the top.
Dre Bullock scored a game-high 21 points and Isaiah Kerr scored 15 of his 17 points after the break to help UH rebound from back-to-back double-digit losses. Kerr scored six of his points in overtime, including a three-point play with 1:59 left that gave UH a 76-74 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.
Colin Smith led three Gauchos in double-digits with 19 points while Aidan Mahaney added 16 before fouling out in overtime as UCSB lost its third straight game, including its second straight in overtime.
In the final regular-season meeting between the teams, UH defeated the Gauchos for the first time since 2022, ending a streak of eight straight losses in the series.
At halftime, two-time All-American AC Carter had his No. 23 jersey retired, Numerous coaches, teammates, former players and friends joined Carter on the court as he became just the second player in program history to be bestowed the honor, joining Bob Nash who was also on hand for the emotional ceremony.
The Gauchos held a 32-30 lead at the break and after the team's came out of the locker room UCSB continued to lead for nearly the entirety of the second half. UCSB scored the first six points out of the locker room and took its biggest lead of the game 38-30 minutes into the second half.
UH eventually clawed their way back and a Bullock three-point play with 8:49, gave UH a 53-51 lead. But that lead was brief as a three-pointer by Marvin McGhee IV and a Smith three-point play surged the Gauchos back ahead.
The 'Bows played catch up the rest of the way, but would not fold, and tied the game twice in the final minute courtesy of a pair of put-backs by senior captain Harry Rouhliadeff. Rouliadeff's follow-up of a Hunter Erickson missed layup with 2.7 seconds left ultimately sent the game into overtime.
Kerr set the tone with a three-pointer on UH's opening possession of the extra period and after the teams traded blows for the next three minutes, the junior guard hit a driving layup, was fouled and hit the ensuing free throw to give UH a 76-74 lead with less than two minutes left.
UH hit 1-of-2 free throws on each of their next two possessions and held a 78-75 lead in the final minute. UCSB had one last chance, but the Gauchos' CJ Shaw missed a three-pointer as time expired as UH walked off with the hard-earned win.
The Rainbow Warriors will now head off for the final Big West regular-season road trip when they take on UC Davis on Thursday, Feb. 26 (4:00 p.m. HT) and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Feb. 28 (2:00 p.m. HT).
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